| Sabre-toothed blenny | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Blenniidae |
| Genus: | Aspidontus |
| Species: | A. taeniatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Aspidontus taeniatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1834 |
|
The sabre-toothed blenny, Aspidontus taeniatus, is a species of blenny that mimics the "dance" of Labroides dimidiatus; a similarly colored species of cleaner wrasse. It tricks fish into offering their underparts to be cleaned. Instead of eating parasites from the scales of the fish, the sabre-toothed blenny bites the victim and rushes away. Fish that have in the past been victimised in that way might attack other blennies innocently trying to groom them.
It is indigenous to coral reef habitats in the Indo-Pacific.
Combtooth blennies include other species of sabre-toothed or biting blennies. Some have similar scale-eating habits, but coloration different from Aspidontus taeniatus.